List of Pokémon films
Since the debut of the anime adaptation of Satoshi Tajiri's Pokémon games, Toho has produced the theatrical films based on the franchise since 1998 in Japan: five based on the original series Pokémon anime, four based on the Advanced Generation series, four based on the Diamond and Pearl series, with the tenth film commemorating the tenth anniversary of the anime, three based on the Best Wishes series, three based on the XY series, and two based on the new alternate continuity, despite the Sun & Moon series. There are also two television specials that were broadcast on TV Tokyo and ten short films. Theatrical films, with little exception, center on and feature Pokémon (typically legendary ones) that have yet to officially debut in the games, often with the Pokémon causing some sort of disaster with its powers or being pursued by someone with less-than-noble tendencies. Ash and his friends will often befriend a Pokémon during the movie and must, at the end, say goodbye to their new friend. The locations in which the movies take place have been, since Pokémon Heroes, based on a real-world location outside Japan. Topics explored are typically deeper than those explored in the episodes aired on TV, with the battle between greedy people who would use Pokémon for evil and those like Ash who are friends and partners to their Pokémon being a central issue in several movies. Warner Bros. licensed the first three films in North America, and Miramax Films licensed the following four films. Starting with Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, Viz Media is the only North American licensee. Universal Pictures will distribute the live-action adaptation of Detective Pikachu. All Pokémon films have been and will be distributed theatrically by Toho within Japan. Films Pokémon: The Original (Series 1) Pokémon: Advanced Generation (Series 2) Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl (Series 3) Pokémon: Best Wishes! (Series 4) Pokémon: XY (Series 5) Alternate continuity On December 15, 2016, a reboot to the film franchise began with the 20th movie. It was first revealed along with its teaser trailer on the anniversary of the Pokémon anime television series. The teaser was also revealed showing Ho-oh (who appeared in the first episode of Pokémon). On December 10, 2017, the 21st movie was released along with its teaser trailer. It appears to be a continuation from "I Choose You!" involving Lugia and a new character. Live-action The launch of the Pokémon Go app reignited mainstream interest back into the Pokémon franchise in the Western market since its initial peak in the early 2000s. In 2016, various Hollywood film companies approached The Pokémon Company International to gain film rights. Eventually, Legendary Pictures struck a deal to produce a live-action adaptation of Detective Pikachu, marking it the first official live-action Pokémon film. TV Specials These special films, which run longer than the normal half-hour and are not usually separated into more than one episode in either the original or the dub, are often considered TV Pokémon movies, not counting towards the running total. They never appear in theaters, but are instead broadcast on the same networks that the regular anime is broadcast for their premieres. Though they may air around the same time as other episodes of the anime, usually in the anime's normal timeslot, they are not assigned episode numbers. Pikachu Shorts Pikachu shorts are anime shorts that are commonly shown at the start of the Pokémon movies, but have also been expanded to fulfill other purposes. See also * ''Pokémon'' anime * [[List of Pokémon episodes (seasons 1–13)|List of Pokémon episodes (seasons 1–13)]] * [[List of Pokémon episodes (seasons 14–current)|List of Pokémon episodes (seasons 14–current)]] * [[List of Pokémon characters|List of Pokémon characters]] * [[List of Pokémon theme songs|List of Pokémon theme songs]] * [[List of Pokémon anime characters|List of Pokémon anime characters]] * [[List of Pokémon video games|List of Pokémon video games]] References External links * * * Category:Animated television specials Category:Anime short films Category:Fantasy adventure films Category:Pokémon lists Category:Lists of anime films